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on Cultural Economics |
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Issue of 2026–08–17
seven papers chosen by Roberto Zanola, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | Klaus Wohlrabe; Gerome Wolf |
| Abstract: | Popular music reflects and shapes cultural dynamics, yet research on trends in music over long periods has focused almost exclusively on lyrics. We analyze diachronic trends in eight Spotify audio features (danceability, energy, loudness, speechiness, acousticness, instrumentalness, liveness, and valence) for the most popular songs in the United States (Billboard Hot 100) and Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts) from 1977 to 2025. Both markets exhibit broadly parallel trajectories: a steady decline in valence, an increase in loudness followed by a reversal in the streaming era, and a pattern of decline and subsequent recovery in acousticness. A decomposition at the level of genres reveals that the reversal in loudness and the decline in valence operate within genres rather than reflecting compositional shifts. We find that synchronization of audio features across the two countries, measured through rolling correlations of weekly series in first differences, has increased substantially since the middle of the 2010s, coinciding with the dominance of digital streaming platforms. This synchronization is strongest for features related to production and weakest for features that depend on language. Decomposing the effect, we show that the increase is driven both by a growing overlap in charted repertoire and by a genuine acoustic convergence among songs exclusive to one country, suggesting that streaming platforms synchronize national music markets through both a direct repertoire channel and an indirect aesthetic channel. |
| Keywords: | popular music, spotify audio features, cultural convergence, streaming, globalization |
| JEL: | Z11 L82 F60 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12843 |
| By: | Caoui, El Hadi; Galasso, Alberto |
| Abstract: | Creative content is often the product of collaboration, which may lead to fractional ownership of intellectual property. We study the effect of fractional ownership on the licensing of copyrighted material and its use in follow-on works. To do so, we compile new data on the copyright ownership structure of songs and their licensing for use in movies. We document that fractional song ownership has increased substantially: the mean number of songwriters and publishers per song has tripled between 1958 and 2021. We show that, conditional on a rich set of controls, greater fractionalization is associated with lower likelihood of licensing. We leverage the Sony-led acquisition of EMI Music Publishing in 2012 to obtain within-song variation in ownership and find that consolidating ownership rights significantly increases licensing, beyond any standalone effects of the merger. |
| JEL: | O34 L82 D45 |
| Date: | 2024–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19686 |
| By: | Guiso, Luigi; Sapienza, Paola; Zingales, Luigi |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how the concept of embedded culture played a transformative role in the ongoing cultural revolution within economics and business. We trace the field's shift from the 20th-century concept of homo economicus universalis to an approach incorporating cultural embeddedness in economic behavior. Beyond documenting this intellectual transformation, we identify fertile areas for future research and explore how an embedded cultural perspective can enhance both our understanding of economic phenomena and the design of effective policies. |
| JEL: | Z1 D21 M14 Z13 |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19798 |
| By: | Galor, Oded; Klemp, Marc; Wainstock, Daniel C. |
| Abstract: | This study reveals the pivotal impact of the prehistoric out-of-Africa migration on global variation in the degree of cultural diversity within ethnic and national populations. Drawing on novel diversity measures—encompassing folkloric and musical traditions among indigenous ethnic groups, as well as norms, values, and attitudes in modern societies—an intriguing pattern emerges: societies whose ancestors migrated farther from humanity’s cradle in Africa exhibit lower cultural diversity. These striking findings underscore: (i) the profound role of cultural dynamics in shaping the enduring effects of the out-of-Africa migration on social cohesion, innovativeness, and living standards; (ii) the origins of persistent global variations in cultural expressions within an increasingly interconnected world; and (iii) the roots of variations in societal adaptability to evolving economic and technological landscapes. |
| Keywords: | Diversity; Culture |
| JEL: | O10 Z10 |
| Date: | 2024–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19718 |
| By: | Adriano Lenaz Zenteno (Universidad Privada Boliviana (UPB)); Laura Elena Bustos Quitón (Universidad Privada Boliviana (UPB)) |
| Abstract: | This study applies a qualitative, descriptive, and interpretative approach, using the semiotic method proposed by Umberto Eco [1] and Roland Barthes [2] to unravel the ideological discourses in colonial visual production. Through a decolonial perspective, based on Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui [3], and Walter Mignolo [4] . The research questions colonial pow-er structures inscribed in virreinal pictorial works and their in-fluence on contemporary Bolivian identity construction. The analysis reveals that colonial graphic signs functioned not only as instruments of cultural domination, but also as spaces for resignification and resistance. Furthermore, the study posits the reappropriating of these signs for current graphic design an exercise in cultural reclamation and identity construction. The research contributes to the debate on the decolonization of art and proposes a critical reading that links history, aesthetics, and visual communication in the Bolivian context. |
| Keywords: | Graphic design, Semiology, Culture, Decoloniality. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iad:wpaper:0525 |
| By: | Bharathan Kandaswamy; Neharika Vohra; Sukruti Phatak |
| Abstract: | This paper examines leadership through the lens of movie directors and argues that filmmaking offers a rich model for management in complex, high-pressure environments. Drawing on examples from Indian and global cinema, it shows how directors function as “first among equals, ” combining artistic vision with collaboration, discipline, and decisive action. The paper highlights five core leadership lessons: collaborative authority, leading by example, building high-performance teams, adaptive innovation, and managing principal artists. It demonstrates how effective directors create trust, psychological safety, and constructive feedback cultures while balancing creative freedom with operational control. The paper also shows how strong directors prepare thoroughly, respond resourcefully to constraints, and turn crises into opportunities through flexibility and clear judgment. In dealing with stars and diverse technical teams, they resolve ego conflicts through transparency, role clarity, and respect for contribution. Ultimately, the paper suggests that movie directors embody a distinctive form of leadership that blends strategy, execution, emotional intelligence, and resilience. These lessons are highly relevant for managers and future professionals seeking to lead creatively, adapt to uncertainty, and deliver results while preserving vision and teamwork. |
| Date: | 2026–08–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iim:iimawp:14735 |
| By: | Beltrán Tapia, Francisco; Marco-Gracia, Francisco J. |
| Abstract: | Given names hide crucial information about cultural attitudes and beliefs that sheds light on how parents raised their children and the importance they attached to education and other values. Relying on the 1860 Population census for the province of Zaragoza (Spain; almost 400, 000 observations), this article shows that naming practices, captured by whether children bear more or less common names and/or were named after their parents, help predicting their educational outcomes, even after controlling for a host of individual-, household- and community-level confounders. Crucially, these results differ by sex, birth-order, socio-economic status and the urban-rural divide, which allows identifying the mechanisms in place. In particular, bearing a common name is negatively associated with the likelihood of girls attending school and being literate in rural areas. By contrast, being named after parents had a positive influence on boys' education, a pattern that is especially visible for the eldest son from families who have access to land. In addition, the results reported here are stronger in more complex household arrangements. These results therefore stress the role played by inheritance customs and the continuity of the family line on both naming practices and the way that parents allocated resources between their siblings, as well as highlighting the different expectations around the role that sons and daughters played in these societies. |
| Keywords: | Culture; Education; Literacy |
| JEL: | N13 I20 I25 O10 Z10 |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19625 |